The resort of Peyragudes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, is preparing for a first with the ‘Dernier planter de bâton’. On Saturday 14 June 2025, instructors from the French Ski School (ESF), volunteers and mountain lovers will come together for this national eco-friendly initiative to collect rubbish from the ski area. Organised every spring since 1996 by the Syndicat National des Moniteurs du Ski Français (SNMSF), this initiative brings together local stakeholders for a day to work towards a common goal: preserving the mountain environment. The aim is to restore the mountains to their pristine state after the snow melts, while raising public awareness of the fragility of the high-altitude ecosystem.
Peyragudes will host the ‘Last Ski Pole Planting’: a powerful act to collect rubbish and protect a fragile environment.
Every spring, once the snow has melted, the ski slopes reveal a sad harvest of rubbish left behind during the winter. Cigarette butts, plastic packaging, lost gloves, broken ski poles and even old scrap metal – the list of rubbish collected during the ‘Last Ski Pole Planting’ is long. Without these clean-up operations, this rubbish would continue to pollute the mountain environment for a long time to come. “The mountains are the source of the water cycle. Around 80 to 90% of the waste found in the seas comes from land,” according to an environmental report on the Grand Massif area.
As they degrade, abandoned plastics release micro-particles that end up in valley rivers, threatening wildlife, flora and water quality. Eliminating this waste therefore reduces the impact on biodiversity and preserves water resources that are essential to ecosystems and populations. The mountain environment, already weakened by climate change, needs these concrete actions to remain a healthy and welcoming environment.
Ski instructors and Mountain Riders: an alliance for a waste-free mountain
The ‘Dernier planter de bâton’ (last pole plant) initiative relies on the mobilisation of the pulls rouges (red sweaters) – the nickname given to ESF instructors – alongside the Mountain Riders association. Since 2021, the SNMSF has been working with Mountain Riders to professionalise and expand these clean-up operations. ‘Ski instructors are sports educators, but they are also there to raise awareness about the environment,’ emphasises Jean-Marc Simon, Director General of the SNMSF. In practical terms, every French ski school is encouraged to organise its own end-of-season litter collection, involving instructors, students, local residents, elected officials and resort staff. The initiative takes the form of a friendly inter-school challenge: the ESFs that mobilise the most volunteers or collect the most litter are recognised at the end of the season. In the 2024 edition, the ESF schools in Auris-en-Oisans, Plagne Bellecôte, Font d’Urle and Val Cenis won the prize for the most committed to this eco-responsible challenge.
As a sign of the growing impact of this initiative, last year’s results reached record levels. In 2024, 52 ‘Last pole plant’ operations organised throughout France collected 13 tonnes of waste, twice as much as in 2023. This field data – with each item of waste characterised (identified and sorted) by category – is carefully passed on to Mountain Riders to feed into its scientific programme, Montagne Zéro Déchet Sauvage (Zero Litter in the Mountains). This national observatory has an ambitious goal: zero litter in the mountains by 2030. The SNMSF has also signed the Montagne Zéro Déchet charter alongside public and private stakeholders in the mountain sector, thereby affirming the commitment of the entire profession of mountain guides to the ecological transition of mountain tourism.
From the Alps to the Pyrenees, via the Jura: a national movement in all mountain ranges
Launched nearly 30 years ago in Savoie, the ‘Dernier planter de bâton’ (last to plant a pole) initiative has gradually spread to all French mountain ranges. Until now, it was mainly the Alps, the Massif Central, the Jura and the Vosges that mobilised every spring to clean up their ski areas.
For example, in 2024, the Alpine resort of Dévoluy (Hautes-Alpes) hosted the national clean-up, with the participation of ski champion Cyprien Sarrazin and a delegation from the Tour de France led by Christian Prudhomme. Dozens of other local collections took place that same year, from Le Grand-Bornand in Haute-Savoie to the mountains of Auvergne, bringing together a total of more than 4,700 volunteers. In the Jura, the resorts of Les Rousses and Métabief also organised their big spring clean-up in 2025.
The 2025 edition in Peyragudes marks the entry of the Pyrenees into the fray, with this first large-scale event organised on their territory. No single date is imposed at national level – each resort chooses its own day depending on when the snow melts.
Ski resorts and instructors committed to the transition
Beyond waste collection, this operation illustrates the environmental shift taken by many players in the mountain industry. Aware that they operate in a fragile environment, ski resorts and instructors are stepping up their initiatives for more sustainable tourism. Under the umbrella of Domaines Skiables de France (DSF), ski area operators have adopted a roadmap of 16 eco-commitments covering climate, biodiversity, water, landscapes and waste.
On this last point, each resort has committed to organising at least one waste collection in the natural environment each year. This is accompanied by efforts to raise awareness among skiers and hikers about waste reduction, in partnership with specialist associations. Operations such as the ‘Last Pole Plant’ fully meet these objectives by involving ski professionals and the local population in the clean-up effort.
At the same time, some resorts are going further by integrating comprehensive sustainable development programmes. Led by Mountain Riders, the Flocon Vert label rewards destinations that are exemplary in terms of the environment (energy, water management, mobility, waste, etc.). Twenty-seven French resorts – including in the Pyrenees and the Jura – already hold this label, certifying their advanced transition. The first resort in the Pyrenees to obtain the Flocon Vert label was La Pierre Saint-Martin in 2017. Recently, Cauterets was recognised for its efforts, becoming the first resort in the Pyrenees to be awarded two flocons (level of excellence).
Christian Prudhomme, guest of honour before the 2025 Tour de France
The announced presence of Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, at the Peyragudes collection on 14 June illustrates the growing resonance of this eco-citizen initiative. Last year, a delegation from the Tour supported the operation in the Alps, and its renewal in 2025 in the Pyrenees is not insignificant. The director of the Tour de France is a true lover of the French mountains.
His visit symbolises the convergence between the worlds of sport and mountain environmental protection. It comes as Peyragudes prepares to host a stage of the Tour de France in July 2025. This will be an 11 km uphill time trial from Loudenvielle to the Peyragudes altiport. This major cycling event, scheduled for 18 July, will attract thousands of visitors to the Pyrenean peaks. By taking part in the clean-up of the slopes beforehand, Christian Prudhomme and the Tour de France are sending out a strong message. The beauty of the landscapes and the preservation of the natural heritage are inextricably linked to the tourist and sporting appeal of the mountains.
